The Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping for a return to normalcy after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006 last spring

Julian Alvarez is closing in on a personal quadruple of titles in 2022/23, having won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina while Manchester City attempt to complete a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble.

Mitchell Marsh said he had hoped he had put a "smile on the faces" of his family with a stunning World Cup hundred that followed...

Freddie Freeman singled to deep center field with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, Chris Taylor hit a tying grand slam in the sixth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4

England forward Beth Mead says she will “try my hardest” to make the summer’s World Cup while admitting “it may be a little bit too soon”. Mead, who claimed the Golden Boot and player of the tournament award when the Lionesses won the Euros on home soil last year, has been sidelined since suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Arsenal in November. In March, England boss Sarina Wiegman said she was planning for the World Cup without Mead, adding: “If a miracle happens and she goes so fast (in her recovery), then we will reconsider it – but at this moment I don’t expect that.” Speaking on Wednesday as she received an MBE at Windsor Castle for services to football, Mead told the PA news agency: “I’m back on the pitch, back kicking a ball. So it’s starting to be a little bit more normal again, but it’s been a long, tough period. “I will try my hardest to get as close to that as possible. But (the World Cup) may be a little bit too soon for me this time around.” Mead also told Sky Sports she was “ahead of schedule” in her recovery, before adding that her World Cup participation is “out of my control”. The showpiece in Australia and New Zealand gets under way on July 20, with Wiegman set to name her squad for the tournament later this month. Mead is one of four Arsenal players to have sustained ACL injuries this season, with England captain Leah Williamson another, along with Vivianne Miedema and Laura Wienroither. On the broader picture in terms of ACL injuries, Mead told PA: “I think there’s more that can be done. Obviously, we’ll be delving into that a lot more as individuals and as a club and in the women’s game in general. “I think it’s becoming like six more times likely than male players and we’ve got that figure and that’s something that can help. “It’s a long injury and you don’t want to be seeing any player going out with it, but some of the best players that you want to be seeing in World Cups and things like that (have sustained the injury). “We’ll try and help push that out there more and get more research done on that.” Also receiving an MBE on Wednesday was Mead’s England team-mate Lucy Bronze, who has been out of action herself after undergoing knee surgery last month. The Barcelona defender, whose club play Wolfsburg in the Champions League final on June 3, said: “I think (the World Cup) is really far in the future and I should be back training within a few weeks now. The surgery was two weeks ago but very minor compared to some of the other girls. “I’m hoping to get back fit for the Champions League final.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Stokes left out of Chennai Super Kings side despite return to fitness Joy Neville to make history as first woman to officiate at men’s Rugby World Cup Jarrod Bowen knows from Danny Dyer what a trophy would mean to West Ham fans

Everton appear to have accidentally revealed the identity of their next signing in a training clip posted to their official social media accounts. The video shows James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil competing in a head-to-head duel but it is the off-camera voices that can be heard that have attracted attention. While McNeil and Tarkowski jostle in a game of tag, a coach is in conversation with his colleague and appears to say “we’ve got Jonny Evans coming in”. Evans is a 35-year-old centre-back who captained relegated Leicester last season but his contract expired at the end of June. He would appear to fit the experienced profile of player that Toffees boss Sean Dyche is targeting, after signing 38-year-old Ashley Young from Aston Villa earlier this week. The video was initially posted on Everton’s Instagram and Facebook pages and although it was swiftly taken down from Instagram, Twitter user @ITalkEverton brilliantly spotted the revelation and downloaded the clip before reposting on his own page with the message “Listen closely... does anyone else hear “We’ve got Jonny Evans coming in” ??” As of writing, the video is still live on Everton’s Facebook reels. Some users were sceptical that the comment had been added as a voiceover but @ITalkEverton was adamant they hadn’t doctored the clip. Others applauded the detective work and Specsavers tweeted: “Ok you don’t need to come in for a hearing test for at least six months”. The clip has since been viewed on Twitter more than 2.7m times and the proof will be seen in the coming days if 102-cap Northern Ireland international Evans does indeed join Dyche’s Everton revolution. The Toffees narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League as they finished 17th, just one place and two points above the drop, while Evans’ Leicester side came 18th to drop into the Championship just seven years after they stunningly won the Premier League title in one of the greatest sporting shocks of all time. Read More Five powerful revelations from Dele Alli’s emotional interview Addicted players urged to contact PFA after Dele Alli’s ‘scary’ pill revelation ‘Powerful and brave’: Dele Alli praised for interview about abuse and addiction

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Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns felt disrespected by Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals prior to their Week 1 matchup.

“We’ve been fighting for this for so long,” Ali Riley said, smiling through the tears. The New Zealand captain had waited more than most, winless at her four previous World Cups, part of a run that stretched back even further than that. Without a victory in 15 attempts at the tournament, New Zealand entered their own World Cup with unwanted history hanging over them. Facing Norway in their opening match, that winless run was expected to continue. How Hannah Wilkinson’s goal changed that. In a stunning upset, New Zealand altered the narrative, providing the World Cup with its first shock that will ripple not just in Group A but throughout the tournament. With a victory in their most difficult game of the group stages, New Zealand can now set their sights higher and target a place in the knockouts. They will have momentum on their side when they face Switzerland and the Philippines. Such moments can change expectations, as well as perceptions. It had been noted before kick-off that while pre-tournament excitement and buzz was palpable in Australia, particularly in Sydney ahead of the Matildas’ opening game against Ireland, in New Zealand it was far more low-key. Compared to the neighbours, New Zealand hadn’t generated the same interest in terms of tickets sold across the country. A reason for that is because Australia can win the World Cup. As hosts, they are aware of the opportunity they have to change society, as shown by England’s historic win at the Euros last summer, and are inspired by the chance to provide the country its biggest sporting moment since Cathy Freeman and the 2000 Olympics. Having an international star like Sam Kerr creates hope that such an achievement can be possible. New Zealand aren’t there yet - but they will now believe they can make that change happen, as well. “We had a clear goal that we wanted to inspire young girls, young people in this country and around the world and I think we did that tonight,” the 35-year-old Riley said. A moment such as Wilkinson’s goal, which came after a fine breakaway and cross from the forward Jacqui Hand, can be the spark, and not just for them. There are eight teams who will be making their World Cup debuts over the next week, and with the same fundamentals of organisation and commitment that New Zealand showed in restraining Norway, they too will hope to close the gap to the established nations. New Zealand had the advantage of being a host country, even if preparations for their opening match would have been disrupted by the shocking news of a mass shooting in Auckland on the morning of the tournament. But in front of a sold-out crowd of over 42,000 at Eden Park, New Zealand lived up to the role of underdog hosts superbly. For a team who had gone 10 games without a win until beating Vietnam before the World Cup, they were motivated by the occasion and upset the odds. Norway had the star quality - in Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen, Guro Reiten and Frida Maanum - but New Zealand believed in the collective. Riley led the way as she marked Graham Hansen out of the game - there was only one moment midway through the first half where the Barcelona star found the space to burst away, but the defender tracked it, shutting down the cross. When Norway had other half-chances, New Zealand found the blocks they needed. It’s an upset that asks questions of Norway, of course, after their shambolic group-stage exit at the Euros last summer. Hege Riise was brought in to repair the damage, but Norway were still far too open and unorganised in defence, while lacking cohesion in attack. “There have been a lot of doubters because of the results we had, but we believed,” Riley said. Now others at the World Cup will feel that too. Read More Australia relief after Women’s World Cup opener reveals significance of Sam Kerr injury Women’s World Cup teams: Every squad and key players to watch What TV channel is the Women’s World Cup on? How to watch every match New Zealand squad stayed calm after hearing of Auckland shooting Australia relief after World Cup opener reveals significance of Sam Kerr injury Women’s World Cup teams: Every squad and key players to watch

The Indiana Hoosiers are finalizing a deal to hire Curt Cignetti as their new football coach, two people with direct knowledge of the decision have told The Associated Press

Aberdeen were held to a goalless draw by bottom-of-the-table St Johnstone in a Premiership contest which will not live long in the memory. The Dons were chasing a third straight league win, which would have propelled them into the top half of the standings for the first time this season. But they did not trouble Dimitar Mitov enough to merit maximum points as winless Saints picked up a deserved point at a wet, miserable Pittodrie. Aberdeen made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with HJK Helsinki in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, Connor Barron and Jonny Hayes coming in for Leighton Clarkson and Jack MacKenzie. St Johnstone were able to select skipper Liam Gordon after his red card against Livingston last weekend was downgraded to a yellow on appeal. But Gordon and his fellow defenders did not have much to do in an uninspiring first half, which produced next to nothing in the way of chances. Other than a Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes free-kick from distance, which Mitov fumbled before gathering at the second attempt, there was not an effort on target at either end, However, Aberdeen thought they had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when their former stalwart Andrew Considine headed into his own net when trying to deal with Barron’s cross. But with Duk marginally offside and deemed to be interfering with play, the goal was chalked off following a VAR review – much to the annoyance of the home support. An inventive free-kick almost paid off for the Dons early in the second half as Hayes fed Barron to create a better crossing angle, but his delivery just evaded Richard Jensen. Reds boss Barry Robson made a double switch in the 56th minute in a bid to energise his midfield, with captain Graeme Shinnie and Jamie McGrath making way for Clarkson and Dante Polvara. The visitors were still comfortable, although Luke Robinson nearly put his team in trouble with a stray pass in a dangerous area, which Aberdeen should have made more of. Down the other end, Gordon unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot, which deflected narrowly wide for a corner as Saints sensed they could break their winless duck at the eighth attempt. It was the hosts who looked likeliest, though, as they upped the pressure in the closing stages. Bojan Miovski spurned their best opportunity in the 71st minute when he collected Barron’s pass and cut across the box to work a shooting chance on to his favoured left foot, only to blaze his shot harmlessly over from 12 yards. The North Macedonia international then flashed a stoppage-time header wide from a Hayes free-kick as the match ended in stalemate. Read More Gregor Townsend eager for Scotland’s old heads to prolong international careers David Moyes critical of referee Peter Bankes after draw with Newcastle Gary O’Neil plays down tension after Unai Emery walks away before handshake Kieran Hardy gets World Cup call as Wales look to boost scrum-half options Lewis Dunk’s goal denies Liverpool come-from-behind victory at Brighton Jake Jarman takes vault gold at World Gymnastics Championships

PARIS (AP) — South Africa and New Zealand will collide in the Rugby World Cup final and the latest chapter in their ferocious century-old rivalry guarantees history.